1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and an apparatus for processing bank notes that are made available in a banded state.
2. Related Art
Bank-note packs that are supplied to a bank-note processing machine are usually strapped with bands. To be able to process the bank notes in the machine, the bands are first removed. The debanded bank notes are subsequently singled and checked in the bank-note processing machine. In so doing, measuring data and/or serial numbers of each individual bank note are captured. Finally, the bank notes are deposited in one or several storage pockets for further processing.
Such a bank-note processing machine is known for example from DE 10 2006 014 827. Therein is also described a debanding station which is connected upstream of each sheet-material singler. The bank-note stacks to be debanded are taken by means of a gripper from pockets which are transported along a transport path, and are supplied to a debander where the bands are cut through by means of a cutting device and removed by means of a stripping device and disposed of. The debanded sheet material is then put back in the pockets in order to be subsequently singled, checked and sorted.
It is further proposed in DE 10 2006 014 827 A1 to provide a photo station or a reading device in the debander in order to photographically capture information on the band or to read data on the band. The reading of the data can be effected for example by means of a bar code reader or OCR scanner. The photos and data are then stored in connection with a code for that input pocket in which the associated sheet-material stacks are transported. The information typically stated on the bands involves for example the denomination of the bank notes of the bank-note pack, the number of bank notes in the bank-note pack, information on the deliverer of the bank-note pack, such as for example the name, logo or another indicator of the delivering bank and/or signature, stamp, name, etc., of the teller of the delivering bank, information on the preparation of the pack by means of another bank-note processing machine or other information for identifying the bank-note pack.
To completely capture the information contained on the band, the band must be photographed from both sides of the bank-note pack. This is due to the fact that information items can be present on the bands both on the upper sides of the bank-note packs and on the undersides of the bank-note packs. One possibility would be to turn over the bank-note pack or the band between the two recordings and to photograph the two sides of the band successively by means of two photo recordings. However, this is elaborate technically and time-wise, especially in bank-note processing machines with a high throughput of bank-note packs.